London ambulance staff lead humanitarian convoy to Ukraine

                                                                                                     Photos © Marcus Rose Early this morning a team of 26 London Ambulance Service (LAS) paramedics, many of them UNISON members, left a foggy East London for a 1,000-mile drive across Europe to Poland, in an extraordinary humanitarian convoy. They will deliver 10 reconditioned ambulances filled with medical supplies, to be used by the Ukraine ambulance staff tackling the terrible casualties of Russia’s invasion, as well as two vans full of much-needed items – such as clothing and toiletries – to the refugees amassing on the Ukraine-Polish border. The relief effort is the result of a collaboration between the ambulance trust and its paramedics, who have collected the donations and are volunteering in their own time to make the journey. It’s also had the support, with a hefty donation to match, from the UNISON London Ambulance branch. Branch secretary Eddie Brand said: “This is such an important cause. Our members are showing real solidarity with the people of Ukraine. I’m so full of admiration for them.” Today’s journey is the result of two separate initiatives coming together, and three weeks of intense planning. For paramedic and UNISON member Eva Bartoskova (pictured above), who is part-Czech, part-Slovak, it started with a phone call three weeks ago, from her aunt, who lives in the Czech Republic. Just before ...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News Ambulance ambulance workers Greater London Region Ukraine Source Type: news